Epic. Intense. Impressionistic. Powerful. Never has a band been more aptly named than Explosions in the Sky.
This is why they were perfect for the score of the action-packed football drama "Friday Night Lights."
The opening of the first track, "The Birth and Death of the Day," tells it all.
A damaged guitar drone paints the key with light harmonics, followed by a blast of crunching bass and ring-modulated melody. The noise reluctantly subsides as a minimal blend of guitar and kick drum establish gradual, rising tension. This, again, recedes momentarily before a compelling sonic explosion detonates like rockets in the night.
This is definitely EITS's most dynamic record yet. While albums such as 2001's "Those Who Tell the Truth" and 2003's "The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place" struck an even balance between tender lulls and thunderous blow-outs, "All of a Sudden" is elaborately nuanced, with a strong linear consistency.
And although it is more of the same stylistically, the textures are richer and more intricate.
For instance, the group adds piano for the melodic core of the emotional finale, "So Long Lonesome." And on the second and third movements of "It's Natural to be Afraid," a bowed guitar hums, subdued, like a sorrowful French horn.
The drums, though not any more or less driving than on previous EITS outings, convey a wider range and complexity. Drummer Chris Hrasky slugs away without relying merely on quarter note and dotted-quarter-note patterns.
Even in the absence of lyrics, it is clear that EITS is conveying a story, a formless narrative of sadness and triumph, in which, like real life, every element is ambiguous. Minor melodies uplift, rhythms defy definite time, and end-cadences linger with bottomless anticipation.
In a genre oversaturated with ennui and pretension, EITS stand out from the crowd. "All of a Sudden" is an exception to the rule that post-rock is no longer compassionate or provoking. Just crank up the stereo and try to shake the inevitable association with brutal tackle scenes.
